1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to trolling motors. More specifically the present invention relates to a stabilizer used in conjunction with a trolling motor mount to minimize movement of the trolling motor when not in use.
2. Description Of The Related Art
Trolling motors are typically light weight electric propulsion units used to propel fishing boats. Because of the small size and quiet operation of such motors, they are often used to propel the boat into remote and shallow regions of a body of water. The motors may be operated and controlled without diverting the user from fishing in many instances. However, trolling motors are not typically used as the primary source of propulsion on a boat. Rather, when it is desirous to travel significant distances in the boat, the trolling motor is typically placed in stowed position on the deck or gunwale of the boat while the primary motor propels the boat. Likewise, when the boat is being towed on a trailer, the trolling motor may be placed in a stowed position to keep the motor from projecting outward of the boat and thus causing a hazard during transit and potentially damaging the motor.
Numerous mounts and assemblies have been employed to facilitate the transition of the trolling motor from the motor's operable position to its stowed position. Most assemblies involve some sort of pivoting arrangement including at least one link or arm which is pivotally attached to the deck or gunwale of the boat at one end, and pivotally attached to a motor bracket at the other end. In such an assembly the arm pivots about the connection to the deck and swings the motor out of the water and onto the deck or gunwale. Some mechanisms use multiple links or arms to take advantage of various geometrical arrangements. By varying the spatial arrangement of links and pivotal connections, a trolling motor can be moved from an operable position which is perpendicular to the boat's deck, to a stowed position wherein the trolling motor is adjacent to and substantially parallel with the deck, while also facilitating a certain amount of lateral displacement of the motor. The lateral displacement of the motor allows the entire trolling motor to be brought on deck such that no components are left protruding outside the perimeter of the boat.
In such assemblies, as described above, a mechanical stop is often employed to keep the motor from over-rotating and thus coming into direct contact with the deck in the stowed position. If the motor were allowed to rest directly on the deck, the motor would be highly susceptible to shock loads during transit, either across a body of water, or in tow. Shock loads have been known to cause significant damage to the trolling motors as well as to the mounting brackets and associated hardware. Thus, mechanical stops are used in an attempt to raise the trolling motor a short distance off of the deck and to minimize shock loading.
Mechanical stops have been designed to abut the link or arm of such trolling motor mounts in an area close to a pivot point of the link. Such a design, while reducing direct shock load, may still allow bouncing due to the cantilever created beyond the location of the stop. Another result of placing the stop at such a location is that the cantilever produced by the overhung load of the motor places a large moment on the stop. This moment creates significant stress, fatigue and wear on the stop and associated components. Ultimately, such conditions may cause the stop to fail prematurely.
One way of providing a stop while reducing the cantilevered effect of the motor, is to change the location of the stop, or support, such that the stress and load induced by the moment is alleviated. In other words, the stop or support should be moved closer to the actual load imposed by the trolling motor and further from the pivoting connection. There have been various attempts to accomplish this. Some designs have placed a stop or support directly on the link itself. Others have placed the support further out toward the end of the link.
One design which attempts to move the support further from the pivot point, does so by attaching the support to the pivotal connection between the link and the motor bracket. While such a design changes the moment and load experienced by the link, it also requires disassembly of the pivoting connection at the motor bracket. Such a design does not necessarily assure a rigid and stable support since it is integrated with a pivotal connection. This type of design also assumes an existing mount assembly designed to spatially accommodate a new component at the pivoting connection. Thus, not all brackets and mounting assemblies may be able to accommodate such support without greater additional, and possibly significant alterations and modifications to existing structures and components.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for a simple and effective stop or support, which will simultaneously reduce the shock load experienced by a trolling motor while in stowed position during transit and also reduce the stress and fatigue experienced by the support. Such a support should include various characteristics and advantages such as, for example, sturdiness, stability, corrosion resistance, simplicity of installation, and applicability to existing designs.